Publication - FOI/EIR release

Question testing for proposed independence referendum: FOI release

Published: 8 December 2023
Directorate: Constitution Directorate
Topic: Public sector
FOI reference: 202200304293
Date received: 7 June 2022
Date responded: 5 July 2022

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Information requested

All correspondence (including emails, attachments, typed or handwritten notes, letters, notes/records of phone calls, minutes of meetings, briefings or otherwise) and meetings between the Scottish Government and the Electoral Commission regarding the testing of a referendum question for a proposed Scottish independence referendum. Please provide this information between 12 December 2019 to 1 February 2022.

Response

Most of the information you have requested is provided in Annex B.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance, exemptions under section 38(1)(b) (personal information of a third party), applies to some of the information requested. The reasons why these exemptions apply is explained in Annex A of this letter.

You may be interested to note that the Electoral Commission has previously answered two similar FOIs covering much of the same material. These can be found here and here.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.